Radiation Treatment for Skin Cancer: Sensus SRT100+, GentleCure, and AURA
What are the advantages of Radiation?
Should All Skin Cancers be Treated with Radiation Therapy?
ABSOLUTELY NOT! In general, most skin cancers are treated surgically by excision, electrodessication and curettage, Mohs' micrographic Surgery, or by using topical creams.
Radiation is generally reserved for the elderly or those who cannot undergo surgery due to medications or other medical conditions.
Patients that do not meet that criteria may be able to be treated with radiation, but one must be careful of the longterm side effects that take decades to develop. For this reason, radiation is usually reserved for those who are older adults.
What is Radiation Therapy?
When radiation therapy is used to treat basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, Merkel Cell Carcinoma, and other skin cancers, a machine sends focused rays onto the tumor and a small area of surrounding skin. This type of radiation is known as "external radiotherapy."
For skin cancers, the radiation used does not go deep into the skin and is called low-energy X-rays or electron beam radiation.
Is Radiation Better than Mohs' Surgery?
It depends on a few factors including age of the patient, blood thinner use, other medical issues, type of tumor, size of lesion, location of the tumor, and the depth of the lesion.
Cure rate:
Mohs has a slightly higher cure rate, but both are excellent.
Convenience:
Mohs' is usually completed in one day, including the reconstruction. The procedure can take as little as 60 minutes or the entire day. Radiation takes many visits (average 8-20) that take only a few minutes. Most will receive treatments twice a week.
Cost:
Radiation costs at least three times as much as Mohs surgery (average $1000), and in many cases it is over ten times the cost of Mohs surgery. It is common for radiation to cost $5000 to $18000 for each skin cancer. When Mohs' surgery is performed in a medical office, as opposed to a hospital or ambulatory surgical center that may be in an office, it is much less expensive, as one does not have to incur any facility fees or anesthesia costs that can cost thousands.
Comfort:
Radiation is painless during treatment. Skin irritation (acute radiation dermatitis) may occur and last several weeks after treatment. The skin can become red and flaky. Larger lesions and those that are on the legs can ulcerate and take many months to heal.
Mohs' surgery requires local anesthesia (numbing with needles) and there will be some discomfort during this process and occasionally after the procedure, which is usually very mild.
Final Cosmetic Result:
Radiation will often have a very good appearance just a couple months after the treatments have been completed if the skin does not ulcerate. Sometimes the skin can be slightly depressed or slightly pink. The final result after Mohs is dependent upon the reconstructive surgery and that patient's own ability to heal.
Hair Loss:
Radiation will result in permanent hair loss in the local area treated. It does NOT result in hair loss anywhere else. To make it even more clear: the area where the cancer is will lose hair permanently and no where else will be affected. For this reason, it is not recommended to treat the eyebrow, beard (in men), and scalp unless the patient does not mind permanently losing hair in that area.
Radiation Treatment of Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Radiation Treatment of Basal Cell Carcinoma
Radiation has been used to treat skin cancers for many decades. This is not new. There are no "new" machines that selectively destroy cancer cells. There are three different types of radiation used and all have cure rate of approximately 97% for tumors that have not been treated before. One type of radiation is not necessarily "better" than the other, but different.
Why are we hearing so much about radiation treatments for skin cancer today?
That's simple.
Have you seen advertisements on television? These machines are expensive and the treatments are expensive. Now, Dermatologists are performing these treatments in their offices so more and more patients are receiving this type of therapy.
The number of patients treated with radiation has gone up tremendously. Is that bad?
Yes and no. Radiation is usually reserved for those who are late-middle aged or elderly who are not good surgical candidates or do not wish to undergo surgery. Now we are seeing younger patients being treated, and this can be a problem decades later.
How does a cancer heal after radiation?
Healing can be excellent, although 12 or more treatment sessions are usually needed, depending upon the depth of the tumor, the site, and the dosage of radiation given. Most treatments take only several minutes and are painless.
Unfortunately many patients develop skin irritation during or, more commonly, immediately following completion of all of the treatments. This irritation, called radiation dermatitis, can take several weeks or even months to resolve.
What is the cure rate for radiation therapy of basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma?
The cure rate for radiation for the treatment of basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma is as high as 97%.
How is Gentlecure different from radiation?
It is not! Gentlecure is radiation. It is a name that a company uses instead of calling it radiation. It uses the SRT machine that is most commonly used in Dermatology offices. At the time of this publication, this technology was introduced over 10 years ago. A newer technology is expected and this may be offered in some of their offices, although the benefits of this newer technology may be minimal if any. This company contracts with Dermatologists to provide the machine and technician in addition to marketing the procedure, as is commonly seen on T.V. Their protocol often utilizes the MOST treatment sessions for radiation. One can commonly expect to have 20 or more treatments at a cost usually exceeding $14,000.